Forward
by peacesigngirl21
Summary: Cheren is forward. Touko only wants to move forward. Bianca needs a map to know which direction is forward. Checkmateshipping.
1. Nuvema Town

Touko: a tomboy with a personal brand of hell

Touya: a boy with one regret too many

Cheren: "a little difficult but a very honest person"

Bianca: "a little flighty, but she works very hard"

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

Today, it's spring in Nuvema Town. The weatherman advertises Pidoves: Pidoves blocking airplane travel, Pidoves filling the sky to capacity with all their grace and cuteness and inconvenience. I imagine route intersection billboards reporting the same to Pokémon Trainers, sighing into my couch.

I fall asleep there sometime, since the news couldn't bother to bore me to death.

The front door slams into the wall, chipping off more paint in the loudest way possible. "Oh, Arceus! Sorry about that, Mrs. White." Cheren returns it. I can practically hear his wince at the damage. It's nothing new to him, though; that door is uncontrollable.

My mom doesn't say anything, probably ignoring him outright. I don't move to check, instead burying my head into a rough pillow. Cheren comes around the couch almost undetected, sighing loudly. I keep my breathing still.

I feel his hesitation. To wake or not to wake? Be a little bitch, or let me handle myself for once? He exhales again. The couch shudders as he sits, carefully, as if he's trying _not_ to disturb me. "Touko." I clench my eyes. _Don't move anything he can see. This nap is a mission of utmost importance, the pinnacle of your Nuvema Town life. Do not move. Do not fail._

He leans over me, breath catching above the back of my neck. A hand finds a lock of my hair, a finger wraps around it, and a Cheren pulls me up by it.

"Ouch! Shit, man—"

"—People breathe in their sleep, genius." His entire hand slips through my tangles to hold my head up. His words dangle in my open mouth, and the intimacy of this situation hits me like a charging Bouffalant. _Abort! Abort!_

I use him as a catapult back into my seat. His hand barely manages to escape, keeping him in his spot and not falling on top of me. That would've been great. _And that was sarcasm, I swear. _

"Touko, you need to get ready."

"Cheren, you need to get a life."

"That's low."

"As low as your I.Q.?"

He tries to hide his laugh in another sigh, but we both end up choking. I'm convinced I'll always have his laughter memorized, along with the look of insignificant importance he gives me over my bent legs. "We do need to get you ready, though."

"Have mercy!" I offer him my hand anyway, too lazy to stand alone. He smirks, grabbing my wrist and tugging, like my hand wasn't begging for that contact.

We both head instinctively to the stairs, and I know I'm going to end up missing things like this someday. Not any time soon, once I'm out of this small-town hell and free of adult supervision. "If," I scoff to myself. Cheren turns above me, raising an eyebrow. I shrug back at it.

I throw myself on my bed the instant we're in the room. Cheren closes the door, but I don't acknowledge it. That's basically protocol, by now. "Is Bianca coming too?" I ask, watching him grab my robe by the hanger and approach me with it.

"Yeah. She had to get some stuff. I think she wants you to help her pick out the 'perfect accessories' for her gown." He hands me my own outfit. I regard it with a faint snarl and send him my best puppy look.

"Are you sure we can't just ditch? Start our celebrations early, stay here?" It sounds like a perfect idea to me. I swear I see Cheren crack a bit—not enough for any permanent damage in my favor—before he rejects it. He has a speech to give, of course. Can't let the people down.

I don't comment aloud, scolding myself for the quiet _I don't think they'd even notice_ stabbing at my chest.

I'm saved from the plummeting conversation by a shudder at my door. The knob twitches next, fumbling around in its socket a few bizarre moments before Bianca gets a grip and opens it. "So-o-o-orry about that! I tripped on the stairs and . . . kinda . . . knocked on the door with my face." I fall onto my bunched sheets in a flurry of cackles. Cheren stares at her, looking impatient as always.

"Whoa, T, you're not dressed yet?" Bianca tugs my robe from beneath me. "Cheren, why were you distracting her!"

"The only distracting thing here is your shoes." I raise just enough to catch a glance at glitter, loads of glitter. Her gown barely detains the glitter.

"Arceus, B, prom was last month!"

She giggles into her curled fingers. "I know! I just wanted . . . to stand out, ya know?"

That sends a pang through me, but a little effort keeps my face straight. I ruffle her hair once I'm safely upright, snatching my matching graduation gown from her drooping hand. "You do that on your own, silly Ducklett." Her smile replaces the sympathy in my heart.

We both turn to Cheren. I give him a helpful shove to the door. "What's going on here?" he argues.

"Sorry, Cherry. We gotta preserve your innocence while we can." He blushes in realization, taking himself the rest of the way out. I roll my eyes at the embarrassed muttering trailing behind.

I hold the gown out to Bianca. "So, how does this thing actually work?"

* * *

**Accumula Town**

Stepping into line, I'm reminded of my first time batting in a T-ball game, stepping on home plate with the confidence of a pro. I struck out, but let's not bother with such details.

But then, I was doing the same a few hours ago, stepping closer to Mom so she could "fix" my hair. The brush snarled in it was dubbed a sacrifice. Bianca came through for me, miraculously freeing both the brush and the majority of hair in that particular spot.

Despite all that, I keep a nervous, confident smile on my face. This step and all those following will only bring me a future.

The first thing I do is look to Cheren. His line is different than mine, but I know his and Bianca's assigned places better than my own. Not that I got lost on the way here or anything.

He's checking on Bianca. I have to remember to do the same, right before we leave for the stage outside. Who knows where she'd end up if we weren't keeping an eye apiece on her?

Cheren's flash to me the second I give up. He's adjusting his glances by the time I turn back. His sharp nose wrinkles at me, irritation discernable even at a distance. I give him my best not-nervous grin.

Someone catches the back of my boots—which are invisible enough beneath my robe to keep me out of Juniper's lectures—with their monstrous feet. I don't turn from Cheren, for politeness's sake.

He fingers his tassel at me. I touch my own, confused until I realize it's on my left. I fix it with a pointed thumbs-up. He mouths something. Again, at my confused lean towards him. Again as I put my back to him with an irritated shrug.

_Dumbass._

Cheren laughs at my belated scoff in his direction.

"Look, Cocoa, I know you're as shocked as everyone else that you passed. But if you don't move now, Juniper will probably still fail you."

I turn to the Professor first, and she is waving frantically in my direction. The rest of my line is off to graduate.

"Touya?" I sound as confused as I feel. _Good._

"Aw, don't tell me you forgot my nickname, Cocoa?"

"Tutu, you're keeping me from graduating." I punch him without restraint, but he doesn't hesitate to return the standard apology-hug. "What are you doing here?"

"No, Touko White, _you_ are keeping everyone behind you from graduating. I suggest you both get a move on before I fail both of you." Touya and I get our move on at a run, snickering once we're out of hearing range and a lot more, to be safe. I don't miss the Prof.'s eyes getting all soft as we absconded.

Hiding our conversation behind the band, I throw my words back at Touya. "So, seriously, why are you here?"

"I'm graduating, sis. Just like you."

"How are you even passing? You've missed, like, seven years of schoolwork. Almost eight."

"Someone's been counting. You really miss me that much?" His question is a joke, but his voice is not. I don't trust my own for more than a short nod. "And don't worry, Cocoa. I did all my homework. I had to, without Cheren around to cheat off of."

I don't say anything while we file into our rows, take our seats. There's no reason to retain the harsh feelings regarding Touya's early adventure. I know that. Cheren and Bianca have definitely forgiven him by now; I should too.

Still, my friends' kindness doesn't keep me from thinking every time I see him, _why did you leave me?_

"So. Cheren. You were starin' at him pretty hardcore earlier."

Professor's already started calling names. Bianca's steals me from the conversation. "Oh, shit!" Touya gasps at my outburst, but I busy myself searching the crowd. _I forgot to check on her. Cheren's gonna be _so_ pissed._

My initial fears range from B being lured away with a piece of candy to being convinced by her father that she's too dumb to graduate. She stands from a few rows back from her assigned place, a brilliant smile easing me back into my seat. Professor Juniper grins back despite the proof her rehearsals were useless to us all.

I don't notice I'm leaning around Touya to stare at Cheren until he turns around to glare at me. Trying to look guilty doesn't hide my smile, and he can't hide his, either. So we share our smiles like idiots until Touya shoves my head away from him.

"I take back my 'pretty hardcore' and replace it with 'hella creepy.' Should I be concerned as a big brother?" It's hard to ignore him until Cheren's name is called. I try not to laugh at the terrified look my friend gives me. Topping everyone's applause is easy.

"How did you get here, anyway?" I watch Cheren until he's off our makeshift stage, thankful he and Bianca both didn't stumble. Touya rolls his eyes at my apparent subject change—not that I remember what he was talking about.

"Flew."

"Like, on a real plane?" I lean towards him a bit, fascinated more than I care to admit. At least there's no jealousy in my curiosity this time.

"No, no planes were involved. Remind me to show you later." I huff back into my seat, wondering indifferently where everyone to my right disappeared to.

"Touko White." Professor Juniper doesn't hide her annoyance. Touya has to give me a shove to get me off my chair. The air itself is cold, chilling me as I hurry to the platform. My classmates' giggles keep me burning, and I put on a show of flighty confidence as I approach my teacher. The entire walk I'm thinking back to Bianca's and Cheren's moments up here, infinitely prouder of them thanks to my own fear.

I make sure I smile at Bianca on the way back, especially when I trip on the ramp off the stage. Both guys tasked with escorting everyone down make a little _too_ much effort to catch me. Everyone still watching laughs as I smack one with my diploma.

I steal a glance at Cheren on my way back to my seat, but he's preoccupied glaring at the two dimwits to notice. Eyes rolling, I pointedly avoid the crowd's fond stares as I return to my chair. She's probably not there. Why should I care if she is, anyways?

Touya tackles me from behind, whirling me around by the waist. My flurry of swears ceases all graduation activity for a long, loudly silent beat, before Professor Juniper starts scolding through the microphone. "_Touko and Touya White! You're lucky there's proof you passed Trainer School, or I'd fail you back to preschool!_" When her smiling side comes back to address the crowd, I give Tutu a whack heard all the way to the front.

I see Cheren's shoulders tremble, and I laugh with him.

* * *

"Hey, Tutu." My twin's got Bianca giggling about something on my bed, too busy flirting to look my way. "Yo. Tutu." Cheren glances between us, and I exchange a one-way exasperated look with him.

Grabbing a pillow off my bedroom carpet, I give Touya my best shot at a braining. "Arceu—bleh!" Swanna feathers go flying, most of them flocking to his mouth.

"You said you would show me something!"

My brother gives me a grin like I've never seen. It's wide and proud and makes every person in the room smile back, even Cheren. That makes my returning grin grow.

He leads us outside, past Mom without a word, and into the backyard. "What I'm about to show you cannot be repeated to anyone, okay, kiddos? Not even to the textbooks you're probably gonna end up writing, Cheren!" We all scoff at the first part, but Cheren's repeats at the second.

Touya grins that grin again, sending chills through my belly. _Is this what getting a Pokémon does to you?_ Replaying the Professor's last words, I can't contain any of the good emotions zipping across my entire body.

Tutu winks at us, specifically me, before throwing out a Poké Ball from his bag. We watch in wonder, three children admiring a peer so much greater than ourselves. Three "kiddos", I mean.

A monstrous _thing_ materializes in front of us, eyes locking onto mine before the rest of it finishes forming. Cheren shuffles back a few steps; Bianca screams a little. I want to react, but something in those glowing neon lights paralyzes me.

This is a Pokémon my textbooks didn't prepare me for: a giant robot, taller than six-foot-zero Touya. Strange-patterned lights blink at me like eyes, and a giant Band-Aid matches the braces along its hands and feet.

"A Golurk," Cheren wheezes, coming back to my side. "Nine feet two inches tall, 727.5 pounds. Where'd you get this, Touya?"

Tutu starts to answer, but I interrupt in an awed trance. "Can I pet it?" The two topmost lights blink at me in unison, as if egging me on.

"Cocoa, I'm not really sure Shadow'd be into that . . . I mean, he's a _robot_."

Cheren glances between me and the mysterious creature, a weird look on his face. "He seems fairly tame. I don't see why not." The robot—Shadow—pivots toward Cheren, studying him blandly. I swear I see it smile, until there's nothing different about its face after I blink.

Then it moves. Shadow moves in jerks, like a machine that hasn't been oiled recently. He seems to struggle toward me, lights blinding against the night sky. He kneels.

Touya's more shocked than anyone, but he smiles at Shadow once he realizes what's happening. There it is again: pride. I rub the Golurk's head with nothing but enthusiasm. No jealousy here, and I'm admittedly a little proud of myself.

Looking at Touya, I think _I hope I turn out just like you._

I replay Professor's words again. "I think you three have potential, so I'm going to give you a very, very important Pokémon." And I smile.

* * *

Touya wakes first. He stands from a sleeping bag after a brief struggle with the zipper, almost swearing aloud. Touko mumbles something from the bed to his left. He freezes. She's always been a light sleeper, waking at any noise that could be their mother.

_I'm so sorry, Cocoa._

Bianca's on the furthest side of the bed from him, snoring into one of _his_ pink pillows. He'd have to confront her about that later, when she was too tired to understand anything but food. He kisses Touko's forehead, trying to beat down everything inside him. _Arceus, I'm sorry._

She was the only one who didn't hold it against him. Leaving, abandoning everyone to get out of Nuvema Town. His friends didn't talk to him anymore. No one made eye contact at graduation. Touko's was a little delayed, sure, but she was distracted by Cheren.

He turns to the other boy on the floor. He could admire his little sister's taste; this eighteen-year-old could actually be a good one. That didn't stop him from considering kicking the nerd. Too bad he'd probably wake up.

Touya steps over Cheren, opens/closes the bedroom door, and treads the stairs, all with care. He thought about stomping enough to wake Mom up so she would make breakfast for the rest of them. No, he'd do it himself. No point, anyway.

The front door leads to a cold outdoors, a slight breeze enough to almost send him packing. Morning runs were cool when he had somewhere to go, like back when he'd sneak out to Accumula Town. Through the tall grass with not a scratch. _I could get them breakfast from that place Cocoa likes . . . Yeah, who likes cooking?_

So he sets out. "Shadow!" The robot snaps into place beside him, eyes illuminating all the dewy grass as he emerges as an inanimate lump. "C'mon, Shadow. You need a jog as much as I do." Shadow stretches to full height, earning a glare from his master. "Show-off."

The robot laughs, and Touya laughs with it. Trees shudder with the giant's running steps; the comparably short Trainer has to push to keep up. It doesn't shut him up, though. "So, Shadow. Why'd you let Cocoa touch you?"

The Golurk appears to ponder the question, so much he almost trips on a ledge. A Golurk falling would probably be considered a natural disaster, but that wouldn't keep his Trainer safe from fees. They learned that from last time.

Shadow releases a series of beeps, scaring off some nearby Patrat and leaving the two joggers alone on the path. Touya is unfazed. "You wanted to make _him_ happy? Dude. _Dude_. Touko's a girl. She's my twin. We've been over this!"

More robotic noises—sounding more urgent this time—follow. "Not the girl? The boy? Well, there was only one other boy, so, Cheren? How did you make him happy?"

_"He only wants the girl happy. He reminded me of you, Master."_

". . . Don't call me Master."

**And so it begins.**


	2. Striaton City

Touko: a novice (but official) Pokémon Trainer

Touya: a boy set for the Pokémon League

Cheren: a novice (and skilled) Pokémon Trainer

Bianca: a novice (and hopeful) Pokémon Trainer

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.**

**Striaton City**

"Okay, guys, here's the battle plan." Xavier and Scruff don't as much as glance up from their dinner. "Hey. Hey, guys." Scruff emits a low growl, strangely sinister from a Lillipup.

"_Team! On your feet!_" Berries go flying. Xavier's yet to learn Leer doesn't affect humans, and another attempt at it doesn't go unnoticed. "Xavier Edward Snivy! Give me one of your Oran Berries!" He drags his tiny Snivy feet on the way to me, pretending the berry weighs him down. I take it without mercy. "You'll get this back after the Gym battle."

He pouts back into place beside Scruff. "Backs against the wall. Now. Stand up straight, like the dignified Pokémon you are!" Scruff tries to stand on his back feet several times, failing until Xavier sticks an arm under his tiny front legs to hold him up. Somehow, the Snivy remains in perfect military position. As far as I know, anyway.

"I've decided we're going to challenge the eight Gyms until I figure out what I actually want to do." I make individual eye contact with both of them. Xavier's arm is starting to shake beneath Scruff. ". . . If that's okay with you guys?"

Scruff barks enthusiastically. Xavier catches me in a tight stare, testing me not for the first time. Finally, he shrugs a little. Scruff topples at the removal of the arm holding him up, and I can't contain my laughter.

"Touko White!"

I groan. "Guys, return." Both Pokémon tap their heads to a Poké Ball in one of my hands, disappearing to a better place than mine currently. _That will never not be cool._

"I've got one last lesson for you, Touko. Come with me." Professor Juniper doesn't wait to see if I follow, businesslike as always, even while prancing into a Pokémon Center. I try to argue and consider (maybe a little too much) ditching.

Deciding to humor her, I follow. "Really, Professor, you already showed me this back in Accumula and—"

"—Give the lady behind the counter your Pokémon, Touko."

"Oh, Arceus, ma'am, they're not diseased, I swear!"

"Let the lady behind the counter determine that, Touko."

I hand her my two Poké Balls, anxious for the test results. She hums a little as she places them on a machine, which clamps shut the second she removes her hands. The humming catches mid-beat and stops. "Oh, Arceus, are they dead?" I lean over the counter, ignoring the Professor's attempts to pull me off.

The pink-haired lady laughs. "No, sweetheart. These Pokémon are just . . . much stronger than I expected." Professor Juniper makes a noise I can't identify: something like a grunt of pride.

"Strong enough to take on the Gym?" I take my team back from her, hugging them to my chest.

"Strong enough to take on the world," she says.

* * *

"Scruff, Tackle!"

That was it. That was the entire Gym battle.

* * *

I find Cheren in the school, which I only accidentally found because I was lost. I waste time talking to everyone else there, sneaking glances at him instead of paying attention to each conversation. He's still studying the board. _What a loser._

When there's no other option besides climbing out the bathroom window, I approach Cheren. I had no original plans of scaring him, but the opportunity is there, so I grab his sides. One squeak sends me packing, laughter making me sit on the teacher's desk for support. "Oh, oh, Arceus!" I grip my aching sides. "That was the most sexual noise I've ever heard! And it came out of _you!_"

I've frazzled Cheren, who watches me between occasional anxious looks at the people ignoring us. He adjusts his glasses several times. Once I regain control of my legs, I stand and study him. I don't feel awkward in the least, especially since he's avoiding my eyes pretty well. This is our natural environment: Trainer School, together. We've spent thirteen years here.

Cheren's changed already. He must be so much more prepared than I am, I realize. I never paid attention in class; he's the only reason I passed every year. If it wasn't for my spectacular P.E. grades, Professor Juniper would've had no reason to pick me for this adventure.

If it's even possible, he seems more mature. His cheekbones stand out and his eyes are wide and curious and has he always been that tall? No way has he been that tall . . . but then, no way he grew that much in a week?

_Has it been that long?_

"So, how's Zander?" The Tepig comes out from behind Cheren, snorting a greeting in my general direction. Cheren chuckles softly. The Pokémon ignores me outright when I crouch to pet it. "He reminds me of you," I mutter.

"We're still working on manners." He pulls out a Poké Ball. "Return, Zander." I wave goodbye to it politely, holding in my snarl until it disappears.

"How's Bianca?" he asks casually. I raise my eyes from a spot on the floor (previously occupied by that obnoxious Tepig) to Cheren's. They're solemn. He knows about the accident.

"I . . . I don't know. I think she's avoiding me."

He crosses his arms, and I do, too. "I doubt she's avoiding _you_. She's probably grieving."

I jerk a thumb at the door. "Can we . . . ?" He nods, leading the way out.

We walk a little ways, me taking the front position until I collapse on a park bench. Something cracks in me—I swear I hear it go. "I didn't mean for it to happen! You know that, right? Cheren, please . . ." _I can't lose both of you._

"I've replayed everything in my head for two days, Touko." I think about this, confused. He wasn't there, so he couldn't be seeing the scene like I do. Like I always will. "They never told us about this back in school. They didn't say that Pokémon could die."

I don't want this to make me feel better. I deserve to have the extra weight there on my chest. I deserve the guilt Bianca must place on herself, how she might think she _let_ her Lillipup die.

I've been silent too long. Cheren's hand goes on my shoulder, tucking in the place where my neck begins. He holds it there as he stands and walks around me, stops at my front. His other hand fills in the empty space of my left shoulder. "Touko."

I look up with a violent sniff. In any other situation, I'd be embarrassed, and I know I'll feel it later.

Right now, I look at him. Something's changed. I may never know what, but Cheren is a different Cheren than he was a week ago. He's better, even if I know that's not possible. His glasses have dropped a little bit. For the first time, he doesn't notice.

"I can't make you feel better about this." _But I want you to._ "I can only assure you that Bianca isn't holding this against you. I saw her yesterday, and . . . she was looking for you."

I _hmph_ at him. "Probably to punch me in the face."

His grip slips into a laugh. Both hands have relocated to the tops of my arms, yet they still seem to fit as neatly as before. "No, I don't think that's it. She was heading to the Dreamyard, in case you want to risk it."

I nod, standing with sudden vigor. Cheren's hands fall loosely to his sides, and I can't help but feel a tinge of regret for that. Then my attention switches to his face, far above my own. "Damn," I whisper to myself.

He hears. "Huh, Touko? What was that?"

I shake my head in a hurry. My mood swing is already changing, and my face starts to overload with heat. "Nothin'."

"Really?" He leans in, hunching over so his newly-handsome, slightly-sculpted face is right above mine. "Because I could almost swear you were admiring my features."

I escort out of my space with a shove. "Get over yourself, dumbass!"

He cackles, and I almost bolt without a goodbye. I would have, were it not for my brain screaming _this could be the last time you see him, moron!_

Well, not the last time. Like, the last time for a while.

So before I lose my sudden rush of bravery, I throw myself at the laughing, new Cheren. To reach his skinny neck I have to go full-out tiptoe. He has no trouble sinking into the moment with me, letting me sigh and sniff into his shoulder without complaint. "Thank you," I mumble.

_That's_ when I bolt.

* * *

Bianca's not in the Dreamyard when I get there.

I keep myself busy, though, determined to keep my thoughts away from our little tragedy. I study my Cut HM in disgust. The same goes to the tree blocking my path. "Are you sure you can't just Scratch it into submission?" I ask Mabry, the newest addition to the team.

She looks from me to the tree, shrugs, and presses her head to the disc. I don't mention this is the only plan I have for her, besides sending her to the Professor through the PC soon. _Sorry, friend._

My Purrloin chops up the tree with a sadistic joy I call terrifying. I don't feel so sorry after that. I certainly don't imagine what she'd do to another Pokémon.

"Thanks, Mabry. Return." She flashes me a grin that I picture in the air even after she disappears. I try to erase it with a shudder.

Not to mention it's _freezing_ outside. The weather was never this bipolar back in Nuvema. That doesn't keep me from smiling as I walk into my own cloud of breath. This is all I ever dreamed of.

"Touko?"

I'm panicking by the time I turn around. "Bianca! . . . Hi."

She stares at me a few moments past uncomfortable, and I try not to shrink under it. I paw at the ground with my foot: a habit I've picked up from Scruff.

"You've been crying."

I duck my head further away from Bianca. I can't remember if I cried when I was with Cheren or after I left him. Maybe both? Probably both.

I smile at her once I realize she's not going to abandon me with my feelings. "It's nothing, B. Don't worry 'bout it."

"You're crying because of what happened to Sarah, aren't you?" She tugs at her hat, a quirk I (and everyone else) normally find adorable. Now, now it's sad.

I'm crying again, and she is, too. "I'm just . . . I'm really sorry, B. I didn't mean for . . . anything like that to ever happen."

She stifles a sob into both palms, stacked over her mouth. We both stand there like that for longer than I've ever stood still. My legs start twitching and I can't seem to run out of tears, giving Bianca the chance to recover first.

"No one deserves what happened to me."

I look up from my shoes, startled for a pause. I've never seen upbeat Bianca look so grim, but her eyes shine with more than water. I nod my agreement.

"But there was no way you could've known. Cheren said he knew it wasn't your fault—that they never taught us about that. He said I shouldn't blame you. I don't blame you, T."

I give her the same treatment as Cheren, practically tackling her with my love. "Thank you, B. Arceus, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

We cry together, and all is well.

At least until a pair of uniformed assholes intervene. "What do we have here?" a snide voice chides. I can hear the snicker in his tone. "A pair of lesbian lovers in the yard of dreams?"

The sound of someone being smacked echoes in the empty Dreamyard. "Shut the hell up, Chad!" a distinct female sighs. I turn to see her yank a walkie-talkie out of her belt. "Target spotted."

I think she means us until I see a Munna cornered between them. "Touko, what's going on?" Bianca hangs onto my purse, not helping the argument our sexuality's become.

I push her behind me slightly, muttering something about getting out of here. Anger blurs my vision at the guy's continued mocking. It erupts as the girl pulls back a foot and kicks the Munna. "Whoa! What the hell are you—?"

The girl sighs, aiming an irritated look at me. "Chad, hold her off."

I'm thrust into my first unwanted battle, and I think my anger fuels Xavier, too. He eliminates the Patrat without any incidents. I take Chad's money proudly.

"U-Um, Wendy?" She looks up from the beaten Munna at his call. "I think we have bigger worries than the boss's orders right now!" I've gained both their attention, so I try not to watch as the Munna crawls away.

She sends a Purrloin at me. Scruff goes in this time, my only _trusted_ partner at full health at the moment. The cat doesn't last too long.

Everything that goes down following the battle is beyond me. There's three of the same green-haired guy, all terrifying in their number and appearance. He spins around and yells at the wannabe astronauts, whose outfits I somehow managed to ignore.

They run away at a pathetic speed, weighed down by the skirts.

Bianca doesn't say much after that. She donates a Potion to the Munna, pets it a bit. We watch it float away with a Musharna wordlessly.

I leave her there to catch my Pokémon for the area. It's another Munna, and I'm about as impressed with it as I was Mabry. She floats around me with a relaxed expression. I think the flowers covering her are laced with something; the same feeling floats into me. I return it.

Bianca's still there when I come back.

I wave at her, almost forgetting that we'd never be the same. "Catch!"

I throw her Munna's Pokéball, remembering how she'd said she wanted one all those years ago. _The first of many favors coming your way, B. You deserve them._

* * *

**A/N: My apologies for any leftover formatting issues in the prologue. I've spent maybe an hour trying to work in line breaks for swapping scenes, but this site isn't having it. Trying underscores instead of wide spaces now. Maybe it'll work.**

**It turns out I have to use the horizontal lines provided. An hour wasted.**


	3. Nacrene City

Touko: Enemy #2 and still rising

Touya: Enemy #1

Cheren: that nerd that follows Enemy #2 around

Bianca: Day-Care Extraordinaire

**Nacrene City**

I miss fifth grade. When small towns were entire worlds and all that mattered was who you were crushing on each week.

I think I remember that being the gist of it, anyway. Classes were easy—hell, even math was easy. No worries were to be found outside forgotten spelling tests and multiplication tables and assuring you weren't crushing on your best friend's crush.

Bianca and I haven't shared a crush since fifth grade. It was the beginning of the year. No one had settled their sleeping schedules back to human level, and I was still rocking pigtails. Everyone was on the lookout for new kids.

I never cared about any of that; I had the only two friends I'd ever need. Touya had left a year before on his Pokémon adventure. The wounds were still raw.

Bianca had come down with a mild case of Cheren Syndrome, as we mockingly refer to it now. She spent hours on end talking about him: how he made her so _mad_ and how he made her laugh and how friggin' _cute_ he was. She never realized it, but her rants triggered something in me. We could run conversations without pause so long as the topic was Cheren. I supported her feelings; she built mine. I could see everything in him she saw; the more special things, however, I kept to myself.

She was over it in two weeks. I'm still recovering, I guess.

I really needed this distract—adventure.

* * *

My first two encounters with Team Plasma I mistook for simple bumps in the road, but by the time I limp into Nacrene City, it seems like they're throwing themselves in my path.

Along with Cheren and Bianca. I know, those two are my best friends, and I love them to death, but how am I supposed to stop liking one way too much and forget about killing the other's Pokémon?

I can feel myself growing irritated, losing grip on the adrenaline from battle overload and Cheren appearances. Two more Poké Balls weigh me down by the belt. Or maybe that was Norma, the slightly overweight Roggenrola, inside one of them. Not even miracle technology could fully protect me from her bulk.

I finger one in particular. "Times like these call for Xavier," I mumble as he forms in front of me. "How you holdin' up, buddy?"

My partner's shrug is half-hearted. I assume he's still upset that Scruff evolved before him until I remember all the hard hits he took during our Double Battle. "Yeah, I know. We're almost to a Center." He crosses his arms, nods. Something snatches his attention; he goes rigid.

"Touko," Cheren says, "finally. Come on, the Pokémon Center's this way." I refuse to admit how convenient his presence proves to be. It was against Team Plasma, and it is now, with Xavier starting to hiss and hold his own arm. I can't recall what Pokémon scratched him there.

I return Xavier when his back is turned, regretting bringing him for selfish reasons. Cheren's a few steps ahead of me; a jog is required to reach him. "Cheren, would you agree this entire thing is for us to, I don't know, 'find ourselves'?"

He swivels to face me. "That's one way of looking at it. As long as you don't forget about the Pokédex, I guess."

"How do you expect me to do that when you're always showing up and distracting me, then?"

"Are you suggesting I'm a distraction, Touko?" His eyes flash. Unless it was his glasses. I can't tell, except he's smirking and I'm confused inside.

"That's what I said, moron."

The Center is right there, but I don't leave his side. He makes no motion to go, either. I don't think he got here fast enough before me to heal his team . . . then again, he knew where to go.

"Exactly what part of me is a distraction? Care to explain?" I stop thinking. That smirk spreads to a sadistic grin, and I struggle to keep my face under check.

"Dammit, Cheri, why are you still here?" He chuckles, fixing his glasses to successfully avoid meeting my eyes. _I hope I'm imagining that._

"Hugs seem to be going around, so I thought I'd stay for seconds."

"Wha—what?" I'm beyond frantic internally, but I pray I just look caught off-guard to Cheren. He's doing that grin again; he looks like a poster-child for the wonders braces can do given four years. I swear I've never seen him have this much fun. "Who are you and what have you done with my nerd?"

The smile wilts. "I don't know anymore." We descend into a silence that sends me into even _more_ inner turmoil. The worst part—I can't tell which one I hated more: sexual frustration or self-hatred?

". . . Sounds like you have bigger things to focus on than the Pokédex."

His next offer is tiny, a twitch at the corners of his lips. My fingers start to twitch; I've gone to touch Xavier's Poké Ball without notice. Deciding he needed it more than he let on, I go for the hug and squeeze tight.

He's still for a long time. His hands barely graze my hips by the time I plan to release, so I don't move until my affection is returned. "You know I was joking, right?" The smile in his voice is more prominent than the meaning behind his words.

"Yeah, right. Just admit you like the signature White family hugs."

"I wouldn't know. I've never hugged Touya."

"Touya only takes hugs after you punch him. Don't ever punch him, okay, Cheri?" I leave out the part about how easily Touya could kill him, and the part about how I don't need him liking Touya's hugs more.

My arms lift with his laughter, almost slipping until I tighten my grip. "Alright."

We don't separate until my giggles cease, and even then I wait for a familiar sense of fulfillment. "Don't expect this to be a regular thing. Unless you need it. Then I'm always just ahead of you, ya know?"

Cheren doesn't miss the "ahead" part. "Let's not forget who got here first. I even showed you where to heal!"

"Shit. I should be doing that." I still don't want to leave. Something about that fact stings a little. "Besides, shouldn't _you_ be off getting a Gym badge?"

He shrugs. I take note that we're still standing within hug range, a step apiece between us. "I was going for a little extra training. I didn't chip in as much against Team Plasma as I would've liked."

I'm drawing all of my Poké Balls in preparation for Nurse Joy; I pride myself in being a good customer. I don't want to imagine how much those poor women go through in a day. I can feel Cheren's oncoming anxiety to leave, go out and get closer to whatever "strength" he's searching for.

"You did just fine. But, okay. I better not see you for at least a week, Cheri Berry, or so help me Arceus I won't hug you!" He's already walking off halfway through my short rant, leaving me to yell the last of it at his back.

I'm almost through the doors of the Center when he taps my shoulder, breath at a slight hitch and smiling. "Here, take these."

Thoughts of hugging him my thanks don't pass my mind until he's already jogging off. _Too soon, anyway._

* * *

_Do I _really _still like him?_

Nacrene City gives me no other focal points than my own troubling thoughts. Everything here is a dull brown, especially the pavement I walk on. The brownness of the museum isn't startling; I see it as more of a warning. Beware: Boring Ahead.

I think about sneaking that in the form of a note on the front door. I could justify it somehow, say it was an official notice for the people. It could save some non-nerds some trouble. If someone really wanted to see a _museum_, they'd go inside. It'd be a test of faith . . . sort of . . . it'd show the museum its true custom—

"Ugh!"

The museum door smacks me full-bodied for my attitude problem.

For some reason, that's my first thought. A man shuts the door quietly behind him, not having noticed the surprising heaviness of the body behind it. I glare at him until he turns around. "Oh! Are you going into the Gym?"

"No," I say huffily. "I was going to graffiti the door."

He blinks at me. I don't blame him—I must look incredible, hunched-up against a brick wall and feral. "I don't know what that means. Do you support Pokémon liberation?"

I recognize him instantly. "Oh-h-h, Arceus. You're _that_ guy."

N grins. "And you're Touko, with the talking Snivy!"

"No."

"No, what?"

"Snivy doesn't talk, and I don't support your anti-slavery movement."

I watch N transform from quirky creep to looking amazingly similar to a wet Purrloin. "Watch your attitude, please."

My laugh doesn't lie well. Poké Balls are drawn, and we march to the streets. "Millie, it's time!" The female Blitzle turns to me upon appearance. "Let's make this first battle a victory, all right?"

She whinnies at me, hiking up her front legs at N's Pidove. "That's the spirit! Millie, Charge!" A front hoof slams into the dirt road. I can practically hear Cheren explaining the science behind the move, most likely an answer to some homework I've long forgotten.

Something about pent-up energy from the ground powering up her next Electric moves. I watch the sparks fly, zipping down her stripes. N gawks with me, but his Pidove isn't as impressed. "Your Blitzle talks, too!" he yells over our makeshift battlefield.

"Shut up! No she doesn't!"

He stomps his foot. "George, Quick Attack!"

Millie's celebrating her sick move when the Pidove strikes her. It aims for her underbelly, and she unintentionally provides. Once her front legs are in the air again, Pidove rams itself into her from below, barely escaping being suffocated beneath her.

Millie falls. I can't hear my surprised squeak over her cry.

"Maybe next time, friend," I mumble as I return her. "Norma, crush him!"

"That's too bad," N calls. "Blitzle didn't have to be hurt, you know." This hits harder than I expect. Norma turns to the new voice, cocks her tiny head at him. It takes a second's recovery from his words for me to realize she's waiting for orders.

"Headbutt, Norma!" She lets out a growl of sorts, searching for Pidove blindly. He coos, as if to taunt her, and she launches herself in an instant. I give her a victory cheer when he doesn't get up.

"You're going to pay for that!" N's actually angry now, fists clenched and glaring. "This would all be so much easier if you know-it-all trainers just listened to me!"

He sends out a Tympole. "Pickles, show them our cause!"

"Norma, come back. You did well." Her pleased chirp is cut off by the Poké Ball. "Xavier! Don't talk to him!" Snivy gives me a weird look before turning to the battle. He waves at N.

"Vine Whip!"

"Supersonic!"

Xavier's vines go haywire, almost completely missing the Pokémon. One catches its cheek, and my giggle at the fainting is horrible. "Arceus, N, no wonder you hate battling!"

"Jeffery!" A Timburr flexes at me and Xavier. I swear it winks. "_Redeem us!_"

"Xavier, stay in." Xavier ignores me to stumble around the road. I find myself thankful there aren't any cars here. "Leaf Tornado, pronto!"

It isn't his finest moment, but Xavier manages to direct his move at the opposing Timburr. A few stray leaves come back at him, and I flinch at every scratch. With a few more hits, Jeffrey faints, too.

N's face makes me snap out of my battle revelry. "Y-You monster! Why won't you just set your Pokémon free? Think of how much happier they'd be." He sees he's getting to me, but he ignores how I back up when he approaches. "They wouldn't have to battle for you anymore. Wouldn't have to _work_ for you. Don't you want your Pokémon, your friends, to lead peaceful lives, without hurting and murdering others? Don't you want them to be happy?"

Xavier's confused status has lifted. He watches me from behind N, and I know he understands. I take a breath. "No. That'd be boring." N's hopeful expression vanishes. He misunderstands, but Xavier smiles at me. Actually _smiles_. So N mistakes my smile for him, unaware of the special moment between me and my partner.

"You really are a monster. I thought you were different. You're the exact reason I'm going to become a hero and summon the dragon Pokémon. Brace yourself, Touko. This won't be the last time we battle, and next time you'll release your Pokémon!"

Xavier steps out of N's way, ignoring the man's pleading glance at him. He walks over to me as soon as N's gone, reaching at my leg for his Poké Ball. "Wait, Xavier." He huffs at me, crossing his arms. "Do you . . . believe him?"

He shakes his head.

"Can you talk?"

He shrugs.

"Are you happy?

He looks away from me and nods. "Aw, Xav! I love you, too!" Xavier tries to fight me off while I pick him up and smother him to me. When I pull back to see his face, he's pretending to choke himself out. "Xavier. You're an asshole."

He grins at me and snatches his ball from my belt. I watch in wonder as the asshole returns himself.

* * *

Nurse Joy gives me back three of my Poké Balls. I eye the fourth, trapped in her hand, wondering if perhaps I'd been rude to her earlier. I hadn't paid much attention to, well, anything. Lost in another post-Cheren high.

_He's affecting me more than ever. How does that even work?_

Maybe she's waiting for a tip. I can see that as a possibility—Nurse Joys never get enough recognition. Or tips.

"This never gets easier," she exhales the words more than says them. I'm not sure I'm meant to hear.

"Miss, your Blitzle . . . the machine couldn't revive it."

I stop. She doesn't; I hear her question what might've killed Millie. Somehow, I'm still thinking: Bianca was right. She didn't deserve this.

But I do. I killed Sarah, and this is the result. But_ Millie . . ._

Nurse Joy wants an explanation. I tell myself I'll come back later to assure her I'm not a murderer. For now, I take Millie from her. I'm almost out the door before I realize. "What exactly do I . . . ?"

She's waiting for me. "I would come with you, but, you know . . . Anyways, I might as well explain to you what happened." I nod, taking a deep breath and a seat. "Your Blitzle seemed to have taken a hard attack, one that was stronger than it would be normally. That's called a critical hit. She fainted instantly, I assume?"

I nod. The Poké Ball twirls easily between my fingers. I stop myself, scared of jostling her until I remember. Again. It won't be the last time.

"You returned her before she technically . . . died." We both flinch at the word, cuing a pause. "Poké Balls are designed to encapture life. So, when a Pokémon dies inside, the ball no longer registers it. So, it stops working. Go on, press the button and try to release her."

I hold my thumb over the button. What if Joy was wrong and Millie's _body_ came out? We were alone in the Center, but it doesn't keep me from glancing around for nearby children. I tap the button, to nothing.

Joy sighs. ". . . Yeah. That leaves you with the option of burying it inside the Poké Ball, or destroying the ball itself. The choice is up to you."

I think we both know where I'm going with these "options." "Do you have a shovel?"

She pulls one from the beneath the counter, and it finally hits me. This is what Bianca did. There's no way she'd destroy her Lillipup's body. She buried it all alone.

"One more thing," Nurse Joy says. I turn back to her, shovel propped on my shoulder. I must look like a piece of work. "If a Pokémon dies _before_ you return it to its Poké Ball, you can never return it. It's the exact opposite of . . . right now."

I tell myself I'll thank her when I return the shovel. But right now, a trip back seems years away.

Times like these once called for Cheren and Bianca and a frozen tub of cookies and cream. For a second, I think I'd actually trade this whole thing—"journey", my ass—for a quality Nuvema Town comfort sesh. Then I think of what either of my comfort buddies would say and I shake it off.

Pokémon Centers don't keep stock of headstones, so I leave Xavier to finding one. I'd run back in seconds after I'd departed to put all my team, except him, in the PC. Neither of us would admit it through our faux-hatred, but we trusted each other more than anything. I needed him now, in the absence of my human friends.

Not that I blamed Cheren and Bianca for not being here. This is something meant for me and me alone, with the silent addition of Xavier. He'd dug faster with his paws than I could with a shovel. We make the hole big enough for a Zebstrika.

I try the button one more time. Xavier's levelling another stare at me, déjà vu from the N scene. "Do you . . . have anything to say?"

His eyes narrow at the Poké Ball. He gives me a doubtful look before giving a few chirps. I don't push him, internally hoping he didn't say anything brass. Like of the "See ya later, nerd" variety.

"All right then—" a deep breath "—Millie, I didn't know you very well. I'm sure you were a delight, and I always appreciated the weird noises you made when eating. I wish you'd stuck around longer, but . . . I guess this would hurt more if you did.

"I—I'm really sorry, Mills. I know if you'd never met me, you'd be alive now. The hope that you enjoyed your time with us . . . that's what's gonna keep me going for a long time. I hope . . . I—I hope . . ." Xavier tugs at my tank top, and I meet the tears in his eyes. "Shit, Xav, you're gonna make me cry!" I'm already dabbing at my own face, searching for excuses.

"I hope you watch over us, Millie," I finish. Xavier's stick, which I tell myself is the best stick in Unova, looks like it's swimming in the ground by the time I choke out my final goodbye.

Xavier keeps quiet for the most part. More of his mourning time is spent brushing up against me than actually crying. I, however, sob my heart out for a Pokémon I didn't know.

When it's almost over, self-doubt whacks me somewhere in the chest area, and I rise to pace. "Xavier?" He stays in front of her grave, eyeing me as always. "Do you think I failed?"

And for the first time, I swear I hear Xavier speak. He looks away from me, and a teeny voice in my head laughs. _No. I think you should've paid attention in class._

I laugh with him. "You sound exactly like Cheren." He rolls his eyes. _Like an insufferable prick._

"I guess . . . we should make this some kind of motivation, right? That's what Cheren would say, and since you sound exactly like him, I'll roll with it. Let's go train, get you evolved." I keep the real reason for leveling to myself. _So we'll have a better chance at saving the weak ones._

* * *

Taking advantage of our newest member, Barry the unbeatable Sawk, makes the gym battle feel a little dirty. Lenora gives me the badge anyway.

Her husband slams open the door, and she looks ready to kick his skinny ass until she sees his face. He doesn't have to say anything to get her running, and I follow wordlessly. Not so fast, because I wasn't exactly invited along. As far as I know, I could be tracing my way to a bedroom emergency.

The smoke in the museum claims differently, so I choke on that instead. A glimpse of spacesuit tells me the story faster than the frantic witnesses can cough. "Oh, fuck." Lenora's in on it, too. "Plasma punks," she grumbles.

The bigger mystery than the missing skull is the guy that walks in the door. "Oh, Arceus, Lenora, not another fire!" I know he must be important. No one puts that much effort in their design without a sense of significance.

"Not this time, Burgh. Team Plasma stole my dragon head."

"So . . . could you say, you've been dragon-fucked?" All those invested in the museum send me scathing looks for laughing. Burgh doesn't deny my high-five.

"Okay, I'll help. Which way did they go?" I trail them outside, already planning my confrontation. Lenora points a vague direction: right.

Burgh sets off a few paces, but stops when he sees me stalking. "Girl, as much faith as I have in your sense of humor, I'm not sure you're ready for this."

"I've fought Team Plasma before. While you'd probably blend right in, I actually have experience." We cross our arms at the same time, both huffing.

Burgh's more offended, though. "I'll have you know I find their style disgusting! They're a total Team Galactic rip-off. Now, _those_ guys knew what was up. Minus the whole world domination idea—that ain't cool. Also, girl, are you a gym leader?"

I see what I'm getting into, but I don't hold back. "Are you?"

He sucks in a breath. "Ooh. Ouch. I can't argue with that. You're taking the dirty forest path, though."

Familiar voices approach me at a run, but they're too late. "Deal."

Cheren sets to arguing with Lenora, not wanting to sit back and guard the museum. Not even confronting his prying eyes can hold me back now.

Honestly, it's a comfort he and B will be here, safe. I wish I wasn't already so far in.

* * *

"My, my. Could you be looking for something?"

.

"You stubborn brat! When I get done with you, you won't be chasing us anymore!"

.

"Fine! Take your stupid skull! So the dream our king had—the dream we had—won't come true . . ."

.

"It's not important. We can afford to abandon the Dragon Skull.

"But we will not allow anyone to disrupt our plans and get away with it. We will fix it so you never interfere with us again."


	4. Castelia City

Touko: "She's not here today, Professor!"

Touya: "He's…been gone for years, Ms. Juniper…"

Cheren: "Present."

Bianca: never listened to roll

**Castelia City**

Flames tease at his Gym's designer cobwebs like an expensive fine-tooth comb. For the first time, Burgh is too distracted to be excited at another redesign opportunity. This isn't his first flaming challenger, but he's never seen a trainer look quite so angry as she battles.

The Darumaka she solos with fights undisturbed, as if this is the only side the Pokémon has seen of the girl. As if she's been like this for a while.

He can't help but wonder what changed her from the enthusiastic crime-fighter he'd partnered with in Nacrene City. So he asks. "What happened to you in the forest?"

He remembers finding her alone, bleeding, and unconscious. Her cute outfit was distressed to a critically unfashionable point, a state he personally had never considered possible. He and Lenora then left her in a Center. Not even Lenora's motherly instincts could keep her from her Gym duties, and he had his own waiting.

Burgh had his own ideas about the incident, none of which he'd wish on a girl as young as the one he'd endangered. He was whole-heartedly responsible for her current state, and more than willing to atone for taking the paved path.

She was not handling whatever-it-was well and expresses the fact in a vicious glare. Once the Darumaka is returned without a word (of praise or otherwise), she speaks.

"You know damn well what happened to me."

She leaves the battle's storm for him to settle, taking her own out with a badge to prove it.

* * *

I almost flatten someone on the way out, and they grip my arm with a gasped "Touko."

I punch them as hard as I can, retrieve my arm, and run.

* * *

Cheren doesn't think of a good icebreaker until a few seconds of recovery harshen with a chilled breeze. The useless words "You punched me—do I get a hug now?" echo endlessly as he watches her sprint away. Like she didn't even recognize him, not even when she cut her knuckles on his glasses and accompanying face.

Cheren looks to the Gym door. Closing time was in thirty minutes. Touko time seemed never-ending.

He gets the badge right on schedule.

**A/N: I'm sorry for short chapters and long pauses in between. I hope this satisfies for even a few seconds. Thanks, all. :)**


	5. Nimbasa City (P1)

Touko: belatedly conscious

Touya: busy

Cheren: worriedly waited

Bianca: following her own dramatically slow pace and having a great time doing it, thank you, Dad

**Nimbasa City**

He takes a whiff of the cigarette and scowls. I can't help but feel intimidated by my own, like the cancer was spreading through my fingertips before I figured out which end to hold.

When he offers me a match, I take it anyway. "No lighter? Arceus, Cheren, you have changed."

"I happen to think matches are more reliable. That doesn't change anything about me."

The next sour expression is unconsciously aimed at me. "Do you really think I've changed?" I try not to associate the insecurity in his voice with an "old Cheren." As if that were an actual thing.

"The old Cheren wouldn't be smoking with me in an alley." It slips.

The glowing cigarette in his hand doesn't respond to his harsh stare. I raise mine to my lips, sucking and exhaling without much luck. The next puff sends me reeling.

Cheren claims it while I'm down, throwing it to the ground like a felony.

"Dammit, Touko, don't!"

I reach for his, whether to try my luck again or extinguish it, I haven't worked out yet. He dangles it away from me, using my shoulder as leverage. We're both gasping. Cheren's face and the dying spark of the butt are the only things I can see in the light hiding beyond the alley. He doesn't look at me; his hand burns down my arm.

"Touko?"

I don't look at him, fighting to ignore the adverse effects of his touch.

His cigarette accompanies mine on the ground in a movement I don't catch. He steps back, so I can do the honors.

I stomp on them both, hard.

I lean against a freezing brick wall, still breathing at a pant. It's almost as if I can feel that single whiff stirring inside me.

Cheren's face makes me forget it ever happened. "Cocoa, I don't want to be the one smoking in an alley with you."

Another harsh breath nicks my throat on the way out. "Then what do you want to be?"

He rounds on me.

* * *

"Cocoa, I don't want to be the one smoking in an alley with you."

She huffs. "Then what do you want to be?"

Touko hides the challenge in her voice behind her hands. She rubs at her throat, as if that one breath of smoke actually hurt her. He wants to believe it didn't, because Touko never shows pain.

He could kiss her right now. It would make perfect sense. For once, the message could be clear and concise and his for the taking.

But something warns him—of her. He can't see her face right now; she's basically formed a barricade of gloved hands.

Cheren starts to think he should give the Castelia incident more thought. The boiling blood beneath his blush and adjacent bruise hint there's more to this Touko than the previous ones he'd almost kissed. Somehow, she seems off. Like this isn't the right time.

He's left the question empty for too long. Touko's hands shift up her skull; her mouth moves for something.

He kisses her in a dark alley, unaware of a metaphorical light switch's violent flick.

Her nails would hurt if they weren't worn to stubs, but she slaps him harder than even the last punch. His cry is mute behind her running footsteps, her name.

* * *

Cheren's choice of hang-outs twisted the city to night, I realize as Nimbasa Park reveals day. The realization serves as more of a wake-up. There's a half-eaten funnel cake beside me on the bench and snowy sugar wedged into my cuticles. I continue eating and stroking Scruff's thick, filthy fur, trying not to wonder how I got here.

I'd entered Castelia beaten and battered, which was bad enough until Nimbasa City slapped me across the face, called me a bitch, and declared me mentally unstable.

I can't remember what unraveled the bandages on my hand, so I focus on them.

Castelia Nurse Joy fixed me up there. I stopped by following the Burgh battle and an attempt at victory Casteliacones—60° does not make it winter—for Mary, my saving grace of a Darumaka. I hadn't noticed my ripped knuckles until I handed over my Pokémon, and the nurse didn't hold back during her concerned interrogation. Joy didn't believe I didn't remember, and I didn't blame her, but I didn't lie, either. Only the healthy state of Xavier, who summoned himself to save my ass, convinced her to let me leave. He hasn't looked at me since.

I woke up in that Center more times than any other. Nurse Joy started expecting me at breakfast, a disappointed, motherly look always accompanying, too. Xavier pulled the team out of every scrape I sent them in, handing out more orders than words I knew. No one on Route 4 dared approach our duo by the time I climbed Nimbasa's welcoming stairs.

Exactly two weeks after the Burgh battle.

I'd assumed Cheren—hell, even Bianca (I regret the thought immediately)—was outside my reach. In my frantic mission for distance from that godforsaken forest, I'd forsaken my team. Scruff's tail still wags, a small comfort beneath my hand and overbearing thoughts.

I wonder when he picked up the growling habit as a figure hovers over me. N shields his eyes from the sun and stares at me like I'm a rain cloud. "You're awake. Come on, let's ride the Ferris wheel. I have something to tell you, Touko."

I hush Scruff despite the urge to praise his taste in men. Once his Poké Ball relaxes in my hand, I ignore N's on my way to standing. He rolls his eyes. "We were supposed to do this an hour ago, but that other pesky nonbeliever handled it for you. Follow me."

For once, I'm too tired to argue, disturbed that I don't know where the Ferris wheel is.

Our knees grind together as the ride searches for inspiration to start. After 90 degrees of hesitant turning and a shared sigh, N talks.

"First, I must tell you… I am the king of Team Plasma." He pauses for a dramatic reaction, but I only feel my heart plummet into my stomach, which contorts to digest the news. N might as well stand for "Nothing to me", but his confession makes him my greatest enemy.

"Ghetsis asked me to work with him to save Pokémon. I wonder how many Pokémon exist in this world…"

His subject change doesn't faze me or my fists. He flinches under the first hit: a nasty scratch at his shoulder. "What are you doing?" he demands, holding up both hands. I knock them down steadily.

A layer of smoke seems to dissolve in my mind, like a broken switch receiving reinforced wiring. "Do you know what your precious 'Team Plasma' does to _save _Pokémon?" I ask him, earnest around my absolute fury. "They steal! And that's not the worst of it."

I'm not ready to admit what happened, and this tool doesn't deserve to hear it first.

"Team Plasma does no such thing." He crosses his arms and looks out the vibrating window. I have to stop myself from breaking it.

His denial fizzles over my shame. I explode.

"Your organization _beat_ me! They sent their Pokémon after me, never let me draw mine. They tried to...Th-they tried to…" A few shaky breaths can't power me through the rest of that night.

"You're lying."

* * *

Xavier refuses to battle, even after I throw his ball at the waiting Sandile. Scruff is eager to get back out in the fresh air and easily takes down the dual-type, after an Embargo.

When N sends out a Scraggy, I think Scruff can do it.

He handles the first Brick Break, but I crumble at his pained bark.

The Super Potion rolls right off his dirty coat, refusing to settle for his open wounds.

I make myself watch.

* * *

N towers over me again, except this time I'm on my knees.

I'm seeing red. Even after a few swipes at my face, fresh blood smears my sleeves. I can't get all of it out of my eyes, even with the tears acting as drains. I can't process what's in my hands and why it's leaking more than me.

"You're pathetic." He doesn't offer me a hand this time. "Trainers like you are why Team Plasma is necessary. Please, consider sparing the ones you have left."

He takes a few wobbly paces before turning back. "And please don't blame me. Besides, this is exactly how you left all my friends in Accumula Town. If you had made it long enough in our battle, you might have noticed my team is not the same. You killed them."

I killed Sarah, I killed George, I killed Jeffrey, I killed Pickles, I killed Millie, and I refuse to admit the list is missing one.

* * *

"Touko."

A second's breath. "Touko, come on. It's about to rain. We need to get you inside."

I nod, seeing sense in the person's words. I find Scruff's ball already in my hand and wonder why I didn't think of using it earlier. It's a way to stop looking at him, at least.

Besides, how else is he going to get healed?

I drop it weightlessly on his long torso, bracing myself for the brilliant flash. It bounces off him with the exact heavy thump of my heartbeat. I collect the useless thing. "Scruff, return, goddammit!"

I tap it against his head, the way I always did to tease him. His eyes don't open. His tail doesn't wag.

The sky drops its load on us. I want to return him, keep him from getting wet and smelly like last time. I'm screaming now, deaf to my ears in the abandoned park. Everyone's cleared out for the weather I didn't notice, or maybe for the lunatic with the sleeping Herdier.

I'm lifted by the armpits, too tired to fight anymore. The person's Pignite fetches Scruff for me, carrying him outside my reach. "Aw, c'mon, just lemme pet him," I insist, weakly reaching in a direction. "He likes waking up to belly rubs."

The person carrying me breathes in loud, faintly smelly bursts when we reach their destination. I'm settled on a bench with them beneath me, squirming to make me more comfortable. As if they really care.

"Pignite, you know where the Pokémon Center is?" It nods, but the guy underneath me sighs, like he's disappointed in the Pokémon. (I can tell it's a guy by the slight bulge beneath me.) "You know what to do."

I don't comprehend this plan, and I get the feeling no one told me about it on purpose. I'm not worried until the walking slab of bacon starts off with _my _Scruff, like Scruff would want to go anywhere with it. Especially since it's a Fighting-type. Scruff's weak to Fighting-types.

I yell for him to come back, do all I can to convince him not to leave. I offer more treats and belly rubs on the daily, no matter how hungry I am as soon as I wake up. The man below me pins me against him with one arm and strokes my ransacked hair with his free hand. I'm not worried about rape this time, though. Scruff always looked out for me once Xavier stopped, like he had a better understanding of every situation than I did.

Someone's Xtranceiver is ringing, continuing for an obnoxiously long time while the guy shuffles through my purse.

"Bianca? Yeah, I'm here. Nimbasa Park. It's an emergency."

And Bianca comes at a run, shoes in hand. I try to tell her about Scruff leaving me for some slutty pig, but she tells me she knows. She's sorry. I'm pulled from the man's grasp by my friend, choked into a hug that pulls us both to the ground. I turn to see Cheren rise from the bench, and I know. Oh, no. No no no no no no no no NO

He falls beside me and smothers my screaming with his chest. I cry into both of them until the thunder deafens me once again.

Pignite returns half an hour later, drenched and still obviously crying.

**A/N: I changed the rating because I'm bad at judging ratings and probably because of necessity. Here's a longer chapter, though, and hopefully some subsequent emotions. I wish I was doing better at making these Pokémon lovable. **

** Also, yo, if you're reading this, and you like it (or maybe if you don't, I'm not judging), maybe you could shoot me a review. Views have picked back up after Castelia City, but there hasn't been a single favorite or follow since, and it's stressing me out. I mean, I'm not gonna stop, but you could start. ;) Also, while I'm at it, I realized something mildly important: I never fucking explained what I was going for with this story.**

** SO. My first concept was taking this journey city by city, ****building it on rock'n roll****, following both Touko **_**and**_** Cheren, and their eventual romantic parts. Basically I was kidding myself, because I totally forgot about Cheren's POV by Chapter 1. :'D**

** I'll only shut up if you encourage me. This is getting threatening. Fuck.**

**Fine, fine. If I don't get Nimbasa Part 2 up by New Years, good luck and get shit done. I'm rooting for ya. :)**


	6. Nimbasa City (P2)

Touko: here

Touya: wishing he were

Cheren: here

Bianca: here

**Trigger Warning: Brief depiction of sexual violence (marked with **)**

**Nimbasa City (Never Left)**

Holding Bianca's hand again makes me wish I hadn't had to pay a life for what was once a common comfort. Cheren handles the shovel like a pro until I take it away from him, muttering something sad that I meant to be a joke.

He steps out of the patchy dirt, and Bianca takes his hand, too. I don't want to think this is the first time we've been together since Route 1, but it is. I make it snappy.

Zander supplies the body, cleared and cleaned by Nurse Joy over my mental break. I'm never going to question how he did it. I appreciate his delicate touch in putting Scruff down and promise to thank him later.

My parting words stay silent, but I like to think Scruff heard them and didn't growl.

* * *

Cheren checks me into the fanciest place I've ever seen while Bianca buys the ice cream. This leaves us more time alone than if any other human being—hell, Zander could've handled it faster—had gone shopping. Bianca comes back with new pajamas for all of us.

But before that, I'm alone with Cheren in a fancy hotel room.

He watches me take in the place without a smile. He seems absolutely drained, still smelling faintly of a first cigarette. When I stick a resolute hand in his coat pocket, he shakes his head. "Threw them out. I would say sorry, but you're welcome." He takes it off and hangs it on the back of the shiny door.

I think I say it's for the best, except he doesn't agree with me or even look like he knows he's right. Cheren's face holds a blank slate, and I go blank looking at it. "Cheren…," He doesn't look at me. "What happened earlier?"

He doesn't look at me, picking a bed and sitting on it. Neither of us have things to unpack, cruelly reminding me this is no vacation.

"When?" he asks quietly.

"I remember smoking—well, trying—with you. Then the park. Then…N. But you're being weird and I'm scared I'm missing something." I start to pace like it's _my_ habit, not his. After two more quick glances, his head is lost in his hands.

"Like what?" he asks, muffled.

"Something that would make you hate me." I'm exaggerating, but it's enough to make him face me, and I finally understand: he's hoping B will get back soon. _He doesn't want to be alone with me._ The casual realization renews the tears in my eyes.

"Like what?" Cheren's tone holds daggers.

"I don't know, and that scares me, Cher. Please." I take a shaky step towards him, and Cheren stands and crosses the room, hovering in front of the window and away from me.

"There's nothing I can tell you, Touko." His words bite his tongue and take my heart into thin air. "You've got it all down."

"But…but I don't." So I change the subject. "I'm still losing them, Cheren. Scruff makes two."

He sighs. "Yeah, but Bianca's totally forgiven you for her Lillipup."

"I meant two of my own team." I take his spot on the bed, and my turn to relax my tears-and-more-stained face in my even worse hands. "I've killed six Pokémon in total."

This time the deep breath goes in. Just when I think he might give up on the boundaries between us, Bianca bangs two gallons of cookie dough ice cream on the door. Once she finds the knob, the moment will be over.

I meet Cheren's eyes, and a pain worse than mine lingers there. Somehow, I think we might be tied, but I don't look long enough to decide for sure.

I think I might have missed the best moment of my life in a blackout.

"Rise and shine!" Bianca announces, lifting the tubs above her head like a pro. She flexes for a few heated seconds before swapping them for sodas; one goes in front of her mouth microphone-style. "This is Bianca Bel bringing Nuvema Town to you!"

"At an ungodly time of night," Cheren scoffs, smiling for the first time tonight around a practiced eye-roll.

"Better than never!" Bianca huffs. She takes one look at me, though, and all hints of me having a good time tonight leave her pose. "Oh, Arceus, Touko, you haven't showered? Cheren!" She rounds on him, and we share an old-school look of fear before remembering we're fighting. His eyes confront B instead, a typical defiant face stealing the true show. "I'll yell at you later."

She grabs my arm and launches for the bathroom. This time my panicked glance goes ignored.

B pretends seeing me naked after three years isn't weird. I try not to throw my love at her, opting for calmer looks of complete adoration. She runs me a bath while I bathe the full-length mirror in my disgust. The forest's bruises leave a trail across my entire physical being, but Bianca doesn't comment. I think about **telling** her for only a second, but tonight's more important. They're already throwing me a sympathy party.

Bianca sits on the carpeted toilet seat and talks over my disgusted noises. I wash every ounce of blood out of my hair and finally get my contacts out for the first time in four days.

Bianca leaves the door cracked to fetch my purse for contact solution. I crouch in the corner of the tub, closing my eyes and praying for mercy and a stationary Cheren.

I hear B's voice. "Look, I don't care what's going on between you two!" All caution forgotten, I scoot forward and curse the resulting squeaks. She doesn't stop, and I hear the crackle of a phone call with Cheren's empty voice.

Bianca talks over him. "She needs _both _of us, and you better get back here right now! I'm serious, Cheren. This is serious, and you're being selfish, and I'll fucking kill you if you hurt her."

My jaw drops with the thump of her Xtransceiver hitting the bed. Slippers shuffle my way, and Bianca is humming when I surface from a life-saving dive. She sits my purse on the wall-to-wall counter and aims a pushy, beaming smile at me. "I brought you some lotion, too, so you're gonna come outta this smelling like a daisy."

I laugh around the leftover fear. "I think the phrase goes, 'Smelling like a rose', B."

She frowns. "But this lotion is daisy-scented." She places the tube beside my purse, shifting towards the unclosed door. "I'm gonna go check out the balcony, so finish up fast! I didn't buy two things of your favorite ice cream to _not_ get sick on it." A cheerful wave follows her out the bathroom. The room door opens and closes stealthily soon after.

I leave the bathroom looking totally unaware. Cheren is sprawled on a bed, flicking through TV channels and scowling, a spoon dangling from his mouth. I pretend the scowl is because he hates cookie dough—and not being here. His coat is damp on the back of the shiny door.

Bianca emerges from the balcony, smiling like a Scraggy with a belt. She tosses me a spoon and my own gallon of the best way to a day home from school. No way are any of us leaving this room tomorrow.

_But Cheren will find a way._ I flinch.

Bianca helps herself to Cheren's tub, knowing better than to touch mine. I claim the other bed, and she settles sulkily in the floor between the pair. We normally share a single, but no one mentions that as we chew in silence.

Until Cheren shatters it with a low moan.

I jump, grabbing at Xavier's ball in an instant. Bianca doesn't rise from the floor, but peeks over the edge of the bed to observe him. I look for any sign of danger before focusing on the source, too.

He paws at his temples, all gritting teeth and huffs. Neither Bianca nor I speak, though she seems more curious to my blind, immediate concern than his condition. Finally, he meets my eyes with a sheepish smile. "Brain freeze."

Then I realize I'm cradling my tub like a weaponized baby and relax a little. "Goddammit, Cheri, you scared the shit outta Bianca." I shove a full spoon at her, which she steals between her teeth. "I mean, just look at her." She grins carelessly, all cheeks and metal.

He chuckles, and I take it as an invitation to initiate a real Nuvema Town comfort session. Bianca and I crawl into bed beside him—she takes center stage—stacking pillows to an uncomfortable point and admiring all the new pajamas. Cheren's matching tee and pants are a Snivy print, all folded arms and annoyed expressions. Bianca is covered in more Munnas than her nightgown can handle, with flowers squeezed in between.

Mine are more of the hand-made-with-good-intentions variety, a pair of shorts and a tank top with Bianca's artistic renditions of the Unova gym badges. I love them more than cookie dough ice cream, and I make sure to tell her that all the way down to the pit of the tub.

The first bite: "You know, this ice cream is good, but not as good as my pajamas."

Halfway through: "This is making me sick, but you know what? I'll never get sick of my outfit."

The very bottom: "Arceus, I'm gonna throw up. But not on my new pajamas!" I barely make it to the bathroom, and Bianca applauds when I strut back in.

B falls asleep first, like always. Cheren and I wordlessly pay the movie more attention than it deserves: a documentary-turned-romantic-comedy about a woman and her Rhyhorn and their struggles with making tons of bank. The whole concept was already a farce because who would even race a Rhyhorn, then they go and add a female Rhyhorn for a genre-grab. I can feel Cheren thinking it.

"This is stupid," he mumbles, and I laugh too loudly. The silence is heavier now.

"You left," I burst, just as he says, "I kissed you."

"Oh," we both say.

* * *

Cheren doesn't deny my hand when I turn off the light so B can sleep and stumble to his side of the bed. Mostly because I snatch it, but I tell myself he wanted this. I mean, _he_ _kissed_ _me_, apparently.

The balcony is cold and punishing, but Cheren doesn't go back for his coat, and I shiver with anticipation. I guide us to very edge, dipping my fingers between the railings. It's not so dark out here, but I keep his hand.

"You kissed me," I mutter thoughtfully, with only a side of bitter.

"You were there." He's all bitter. His thumbnail scrapes across the fresh bandage squeezing the blood in my knuckles. B is amazing in every way, even in nursing and especially in sewing. I admire my shorts and laugh as a sharp breeze yanks off the Bolt Badge.

"Was I really, though?" Cheren's other, untouched hand is due north of mine and unable to avoid my grab. "Cheren, honestly, think back to that moment. What was I like?"

He reclaims both his hands, joining them in front of his face to blow on before dangling half his body over the protective railing. I stop myself from reaching out. His shuddering breath turns to a light fog against the stars.

"Can you really not remember?" he asks, hesitant.

"No," I state as coolly as I can. Cheren shrinks on the railing, and my hand shoots out to save his shoulder—from nothing. He's in no danger, yet I'm unreasonably scared for him.

"You were distant. You hid your face from me, and I felt…scared, because I've never seen you not face up to a challenge. It was like you were daring me to do something, but you didn't actually want me to, so when I did, you lashed out."

He hides his face, and I know I fucked up. I fucked _him_ up. Using his shoulder as leverage, he lets me turn him around, because some part of him wants me to feel bad for what I did. To own up to the challenge.

There's a faded bruise around his eye, and his glasses are different, but otherwise, nothing is new or shiny or my fault. "Did I hit you…somewhere else?" I prod at his cheek experimentally; he doesn't react. "It's not like me to not go for the face."

"Nah." Cheren pulls back from my hand, and eventually, the rest of me. He points to his eye. "This was you in Castelia City. Today, you just slapped me. That, at least, faded."

His tone isn't so much accusing as factual. So I try to stay calm, too. "Did you try to kiss me in Castelia, too?"

"No. I just grabbed your arm." He shrugs like none of this matters.

For the first time, I think back to Pinwheel Forest. ******I can remember tree bark biting into my back, my tank top offering no protection from their tearing nails; my bag's contents and Poké Balls scattered across the forest floor; the men holding me high. Kicking, screaming, until the authoritative one called for a muzzle. They plugged my mouth with Xavier's shrunken enclosure. He couldn't get out, and I couldn't scream anymore. I kept kicking until one of the caught hold and split them.**********

Cheren wants to touch me. He's eyeing my swollen elbow when I tune back in, and he's noticed every other visible bruise in the meantime. He looks at me, always so serious and then some now. "Touko, what happened to you?"

I'm scared to hug him. I'm scared of myself—my own possible, physical, uncontrollable reaction to hugging him, but I can't answer his question right now. I'm not sure how far they went, or how much I've repressed or how quickly I fainted. _Arceus, I should've paid more attention in that psychology class. _

I know who did pay attention, though, and he's waiting for me to reply. "I don't remember exactly," I try to say clearly, but Cheren catches my lie and heads for the door.

I catch his upper arm and pull him back. "I'll tell you when I'm ready. Cheren…please…don't leave. Arceus, don't leave again."

He sees a rocking chair on the corner of the balcony and approaches it, me hanging off his arm. "Sit down," he says, in enough control to make up for my dwindling sanity. "Breathe, Touko. There's no need to have an attack."

"That's not…what you say to…someone with panic attacks, Cheren," I laugh around the weight in my throat, seizing both his hands as anchors to the present. A breathy sob hangs between us. "Please don't…leave again."

Nuvema Town Cheren would whisper sweet everythings when I dared to utter such bullshit, but Cheren knows he left, and now fully realizes that I know he left. "You heard Bianca call me."

"She…to-_old_ you," I tell him, gasping after wasting more air on laughter.

"Yeah, she's gonna fucking kill me." He smiles, and despite all my deep breathing, it knocks the air out of me. "That was the scariest phone call of my life."

"Mine…too, and I was just…eavesdropping." I giggle a few more times before the previous seriousness completely envelops Cheren. The mood switches yet again.

"I'm sorry. I guess…I'm just embarrassed."

"_You're _embarrassed? I owe you, like, three pairs of glasses. Paying old debts…ya know?" I'm desperately trying to remind him of simpler times, of pushing him off swings instead of punching him in the face. He doesn't respond, but his hand reaches for my forearm before he pulls back, afraid.

I fit my fingers between his while his hand still lingers between us. Combined, our hands drop like deadweights to my right knee. He looks at me.

I don't look back, focusing on our entangled hands and searching my psyche for any reason why I'd associate _this_ with **that.** He stands, and my molten hand rises to level with his belly button. I then notice I'm burning up all over.

Cheren does, too, but he doesn't test my forehead. "Ice cream fever?" I suggest jokingly, thankful he has yet to turn down any of my offered hands.

"Let's get you to bed," he says seriously, keeping cautionary hold of my hand until I slip quietly through the door he opens for me. He makes sure to flatten against it as I pass.

We return to our opposite sides of the bed, B in the middle, where I once slept.

* * *

Two days later, I almost miss Bianca loitering outside a strange, vibrant building. "Oh, Touko!" she yells, waving in frantic friendship. "I can't believe you're still in town. I figured you'd be long gone like Cheren after getting the badge."

I flinch at the mention of his name, and Bianca continues to prove herself as not-so-clueless. "You've got to catch me up on you two sometime," she says, less enthusiastic now, thanks to my reaction. "But, for now, come with me!"

She drags me towards the bright building, and we both stop to admire its confidence. I would never leave the house that gaudy, but it's right up Bianca's alley. She drags me inside.

A man looking too sane to belong here introduces the function as the "Pokémon Musical" and I try to look a little less skeptical to match B's excitement. He shoves a "prop case" in my hands: a fold-out briefcase packed with weird shit, like a cane and a hula skirt. I close it cautiously.

Bianca's trying on a fake moustache as he tells us to dress up our _Pokémon_, but I send him a look that says, "Don't mess with my lesbian lover" and he skedaddles. Xavier summons himself at my side, and I try not to show my shock.

"You're into this shit?" I whisper around the mustache Bianca's glued to my face. He shrugs.

I shuffle through the junk crammed into the prop case and eye Xavier experimentally. He pretends to be impartial to everything I aim his way, but noticeably cringes at the fedora and bowtie combo.

Half an hour later, I don't comment on B's ribbon-y Munna and introduce her to my creation, "Look, B, I made Cheren." Xavier folds his arms and huffs, pushing his fake glasses further up his snout defiantly.

Bianca snorts, and we both fall to the floor in tears. The man from before ignores all other warning glances I send his way as he kicks us out. Xavier smuggles the glasses out because he secretly likes them.

B takes the lead through the wide doorway, accepting our situation with grace (and Grace, her Munna). She stops in the middle of the street after taking the stairs like a catwalk, and I pause mid-pose.

"Daddy? What are you doing here?"

My heart ices over. Bianca's father enters my view, and I'm already halfway down the stairway when Bianca sends me a meaningful look. I stop.

"I've come to take you back home, of course!" He goes for the hug, but B steps back coolly. "You mother told me you'd made it all the way out here. Haven't you gone far enough?" It takes every drop of my endless love for B to keep myself in place. Even after all these years, I haven't fulfilled my vow to punch her father in the face, and he's tempting me more than ever.

Bianca backs away, herding him further into my field of view. "No way! I'm going to keep traveling with Touko and my Pokémon!" He visibly reacts to my name, a quick step forward scaring the shit out of me, for B's sake.

"Absolutely not!" he roars, and I give a thought towards the city police. I haven't seen one at all since I'd gotten here. "Others do things their way, and we do things ours!"

"Is that so?" Bianca snaps back, hands on her hips, making Mama—I mean, me-proud. "Then how about you do things your way, and I'll do things mine!"

I can't see who else approaches the scene, but the voice sounds eerily familiar, and I'm praying for it to be a female Chief of Police. "Sweetie, you keep going on your travels."

Both Bianca and her father turn to the newcomer, joy lighting up B's face like Christmas. "Hey!" her dad yells. "Who do you think you are? This is a family matter!"

I piece it together just as Elesa answers. "My name is Elesa. I'm this town's Gym leader. I also happen to be a model." I start to question why she throws that in, but decide I like her too much now to doubt anything she says, so long as she's defending B.

She approaches Bianca. "You know, there are many people in this world. There are people whose way of thinking may be completely different from yours. Sometimes, this means you may get hurt." Bianca turns back to me, nodding like _you should be listening to this, too._ I wave off her babying and bow down to Elesa.

"Of course! That's exactly right!" Her dad doesn't make it a full monologue outside the picture. "It's because I'm worried about that…"

"But it's important to keep trying, to learn about the differences between yourself and others… To learn that being different is okay. And you shouldn't worry. Trainers always have Pokémon at their side. Pokémon are wonderful. It's not only how cute they can be, but also how much you can depend on them…" Elesa finishes seamlessly.

Bianca rounds on her father. "Please! I know there's gonna be painful stuff like you're worrying about!" She turns around and faces me. "I know! Really, I get it!" I realize she's lecturing me, too. "But, like, listen… There'll be tons of nice people, too. Know what else? Since I've been traveling with Pokémon, I've already gotten tougher, I can totally tell. So…please?"

I nod, but her dad still thinks Bianca thinks she needs his permission. I've seen her growing up enough for the both of us, though, and distract her with Cheren-level eye-rolls and mustache-twirls. His reply is lost on both of us, but he eventually leaves. I peel myself off an unfortunate stair.

He turns around. "Shit!" I mumble, too late to dodge.

But he smiles at me. "Touko, please… Take care of my little girl, okay?"

He thinks he's safe, but I snap back, "I don't have to."

He nods, as if he'd ever understand.

Bianca yells at his back, "Papa, I'll come home after I find out what I really want to do!" Her dad doesn't look back, and I throw a hugging arm around her shoulders before they register any disappointment.

Elesa talks a little more before inviting me someplace I'm not listening to. Bianca bounces in place, holding her hat. "She's so cool! Hah! I want to be a totally cool woman like Elesa! Mm, I wonder how I'll get there. Well, before that, I guess I need to discover what I really want to do! See you later, Touko!"

And B leaves me to face up with the fact I have to play catch-up with Cheren, and that something desperately needs to change.

**A/N: I see you guys. I wish I could hear you. (This is a call-out because I'm salty af at the lack of reviews.) Thanks for sticking around, though. It means something.**


End file.
